Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat

A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories

Neelima Shukla-Bhatt

First English-language study of an important bhakti poet from western India

Uses an indigenous concept, rasa, to examine the popularity of a saint-poet's songs and hagiography

Analyzes new methods of circulation of the songs and stories

Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat

A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories

Neelima Shukla-Bhatt

Description

Exploring medieval manuscripts, Gandhi's writings, and performances in multiple religious and non-religious contexts, Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat demonstrates how over five centuries, performers and audiences of devotional songs and hagiographic narratives associated with the saint-poet Narasinha Mehta have sculpted them into popular sources of moral inspiration. Taking Gandhi's use of these works in his social reconstruction programs as an example, the book suggests that when religious forms such as songs and hagiographies of saint-poets of South Asia acquire dimensions of popular culture, they offer a platform for communication among diverse groups.

An illuminating study that provides a vivid picture of the Narasinha tradition, Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat will be a crucial resource for anyone seeking to understand the power of religious performative traditions in popular media.

Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat

A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories

Neelima Shukla-Bhatt

Table of Contents

Part I - Devotion and Aesthetics in the Narasinha Tradition1. Lyrics of Play - Krishna in the Human World 2. Lyrics of Awakening - Mysticism and Moral Reflection 3. Exemplary Bhakti, Exemplary Singing - Narasinha in Sacred Narratives 4. Singing as Bhakti - Musical Performances of Narasinha's Songs

Part II - The Narasinha Legacy in Religious and Popular Cultures5. The Saint of the Threshold, the First of Poets - The Narasinha Tradition in Gujarat and Beyond 6. A Saint-poet in the Making of a Mahatma - Narasinha Mehta and Gandhi 7. Songs and the Saint in Modern Media - Narasinha in Popular Culture Concluding Remarks

Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat

A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories

Neelima Shukla-Bhatt

Author Information

Neelima Shukla-Bhatt is Associate Professor of South Asia Studies at Wellesley College.

Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat

A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories

Neelima Shukla-Bhatt

Reviews and Awards

"Neelima Shukla-Bhatt has written a beautiful book on Narasinha Mehta, a poet-saint beloved in Gujarat since the fifteenth century. His poetry has circulated in diverse ways across centuries and regions, through melodic everyday songs, the social justice of Mahatma Gandhi, and the global reach of YouTube, which demands the comprehensive and accessible elucidation that Shukla-Bhatt is the first to provide in English on this iconic figure. Importantly, Shukla-Bhatt considers Narasinha's poetry as a resource for healing a region with a recent troubled past, and for imagining a harmoniously pluralistic future. In the course of providing social history, Shukla-Bhatt brings the aesthetic possibilities of Narasinha's compositions to the fore: Read his poetry through her graceful prose, and be truly enchanted." --Karen Pechilis, author of Interpreting Devotion: The Poetry and Legacy of a Hindu Female Saint of India

"This wonderful book explores the life, legend, and after-life of a great poet-saint who profoundly influenced Mahatma Gandhi. A work both of cultural history and aesthetic appreciation, it demonstrates how words and music can play a pivotal role in shaping moral codes as well as social behavior. Analytically sharp and elegantly written, this book will be of great interest to literary historians and scholars of South Asia." --Ramachandra Guha, author of Gandhi Before India